Automatic gravity-gate.



PATENTBD oGT. 1s, 1904.

i G. P. KIDD.

AUTOMATIC. GRAVITY GATE.

APPLICATION PILBD SEPT. 12, 1903. l

No Mo'DnL.

fn wad/1110i A HAMMAM! T y T y ff G l A 1 li y l Strunz-J Patented 'October 18, 1904s.

UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

GIDEON l). KIDD, OF ROANN, lbTlIAlSLe.V

AUTOMATIC GRAVITY-GATE.

i Sl-ECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 772,417, dated October 18, 1904.

I i Application iiled September 12, 1903. Serial No. 173,007. (No modell) `To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, GIDEON P. KIDD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Roann, in

the county of Wabash and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful'Automatic Gravity-Gate, of which the following is a speci- A vide an,automatically-slidable gate which will of the latches.

`at the end of its opening and closing move-v ment will be automatically cushioned or retarded to preventit from being injured.

Another object of the invention is to probe locked in both its open and Vclosed posi'- tions and which will be supported and posi-` tively held against lateral movement toV prevent animals from pushing through it.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangementof parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details of construction within thescope of the claims may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrific-` l ing any of the advantages of the invention.`

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of an automatic gravity-gate constructed in accordance with this invention and shown closed. Fig. 2 isa detail view, partly in section, illustrating the construction of one view illustrating the construction of the oscillatory track from which the slidable gate is suspended.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts 'in all the figures of the draw-- ings.

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional` l designates a sliding gate provided with upwardly-extending arms 2,' forming contin-l wheels 8, arranged to run on the track, as

clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The hangers are provided with depending shanks or stems, and the pivots 5 extend horizontally from the lower ends of the shanks or stems, the latter being preferably bent at the pivots, and the outer terminals of the latter being v-providedfwith suitable means for retaining the gate on them. By this construction the hangers are pivotally connected with the gate and areadapted to slide freely on the oscillatory track, which presents inclined portions to the hangers, as hereinafter explained.

The track 7, which isconstructed of metal,

is mounted on an oscillatory beam 8, which employed for pivotally mounting the oscillatory track.

The upper ends of the posts or uprightsof the support l0 are connected by a top piece l1, which is securedto a top bar 12, extending longitudinally of the oscillatory track and located above the'same and connecting the central support with endl posts or uprights 13, and 14.

The track 7, which may be secured tothe oscillatory beam in any desired manner, is approximately T-shaped, as shown in Fig. 3, and it consists of an intermediate or central portion and end portions 15,v which are ar- TOO ranged at an angle to the central portion and which incline upward and outward from the same. rlhe ends of the beam 8u extend through vertical slots or openings of the posts or uprights 13 and 14, and the oscillation of the track is limited by stops 17, located at the lower portions of the slots or openings and preferably consisting of fastening devices which pierce the uprights or posts 17 and which span the slots or openings, as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

The gate is adapted to slide b y gravity from one end of the track to the other, and the track is oscillated by the means hereinafter described to elevate the gate-supporting` portion or arm thereof to provide a steep incline for causing the gate to open quickly, and the incline at the other arm of the beam is adapted to retard the gate as the same completes its movement, whereby the gate is prevented from coming violently in contact with the end uprights or posts 13 and 14. The hangers are arranged at the ends of the gate and are spaced apart, the distance between the hangers being greater than the length of either of the inclined end portions l5, so that the rollers of the hangers are adapted to run simultaneously on the straight intermediate portion and one of the inclined end portions 15. The straight'intermediate portion is arranged at a slight downward inclination when the track is tilted. Thile one of the rollers is riding up the inclined end portion at the latter part of the movement of the gate the other roller is moving down the incline formed by the intermediate portion. The movement of the gate is checked in this manner, and at the same time the gate is prevented from rolling backward. The ends of the track are beveled or cut away at 18 to provide upper seats, which receive the adjacent roller or wheel of the gate when the same is at the limit of its movement in either direction. The beveled portion or seat 18 at the lower end of the track is disposed at a slight inclination and is practically horizontal.

The gate is guided at the bottom by horizontally-disposed rollers or wheels 19, arranged in pairs and extending from opposite sides of the posts or uprights of the central support 10. These horizontal guide-wheels 19 are mounted on upright portions of brackets 20, which are suitably secured to the support 10. The bottom of the gate is guided by the horizontal rollers or wheels and is prevented from binding at the central support.

The oscillatory track is operated or actuated by crank-shafts 21, located at opposite sides of the gate, a suitable distance therefrom, to enable them to be operated by the wheels of a vehicle without liability of the draft-animals or the vehicle to be struck by the gate. Each crank-shaft is provided with .a pair of crank-bends 22, arranged at right angles to each other and adapted to be engaged by the wheels of a vehicle and capable also of limiting the movement of the crank-shaft. The crank-shafts are also provided with up\vardl extending arms 23, which are connected by bars 24 and Q5 with arms of an approximately Y-shapcd lever 26. The Y-shaped lever 2G is fulcrumed between its ends on the post or npright 13, and the inner ends of the bars i4 and 25 are connected with two of the arms ol the Y-shaped lever at diametrically opposite points and are arranged above and below the pivot or fulcrum 27 of the Y-shaped lever. The arms of the Y-shaped lever coimected to the inner ends of the bars Q4 and 25 are straight and alined with each other. 'llhe other arm, 23, of the approxin'iately Yeshaped lever extends from the pivotal point and di verges from the upwardly-extending arm to which the bar 25 is connected. ',lhis upwardly-extending arm 29 oscillates from one side of the pivotal point to the other, and when the gate is closed one of the crank-bends of each crank-shaft extends upward and is adapted to be swung inward and downward by the wheels of a vehicle, whereby the front arm or portion of the oscillatory beam will be elevated for opening' the gate. After a vehicle has passed through the gateway the rockshafts are swung in the opposite direction to Oscillate the beam and elevate the inner or rear arm for closing the gate. Motion is communicated from the arm 23 of the approximately Y-shaped lever by means of a bar 30. The upper end of the bar is pivoted to the adjacent end of the oscillatory beam by a pin 31 or other suitable fastening device, and its lower end is connected with the arm 28 by a. pivot 32. Each of the uprights or posts 13 and 14 is provided at the bottom with a keeper 33, consisting of an approximately U-shaped piece having approximately parallel arms adapted to sup port the bottom of the gate against lateral movement to prevent any lateral pressure from opening the gate. 'l `he transverse connecting portion of the U-shaped piece is pierced by suitable fastening devices for securing the keeper to the upright or post to which it is applied.

The gate is locked in its open and closed positions by resilient latches 34, .secured to the gate-at the ends thereof and projecting from each end of the same. Each of the end uprights or posts is provided with a slot or open ing 35 and has a horizontal stop or piece 3o extending across the slot or opening and arranged to be engaged by the latch 34. The outer end of the latch 34 is angularly bent to provide a shoulder and to form an inclined outer portion 37, which enables the latch to readily ride over the stop 3G. Then the beam is oscillated for actuating the gate, the latter is lifted, and this movement is suliicient to carry the latch out of engagement with the stop. The latch is guided intoengagement with the stop of the end post or upright by lIO the keeper, which preferably has its sides or arms slightly diverged for this purpose. The

latory beam pivotally mounted between itsv ends on the support, a track substantially T- shaped in cross-section carried by the beam and consisting of a central flange extending romthe beam and vertical flanges projecting `upward and downward from the central flange,

a sliding gate, hangers suspended from the track and provided with depending Shanks having pivots extending beneath the track, said pivots being also provided with upturned terminals, keepers located atthe ends of the Support and arranged to receive the bottom of the gate when the same is opened and closed,

and centrally arranged guiding devices located at opposite sides of the gate at the bottom thereof, substantially as described.

2. The combination with an oscillatory track, ofaslidable gate suspended therefrom and provided withA latches, uprights having slots to receive the latches and provided with means for engaging the same, combined guides and keepers mounted on the uprights below the slotsyand having inwardly-converging side faces, said keepers being'adapted to guide the latches into the slots and to prevent 'lateral movement of the gate, 'and antifriction-wheels arranged in pairs and located at opposite sides of the gate, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto axed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GIDEON 11 Kinn. 

